China restaurant chain refunds thousands after diner urinates in hotpot

AFP | Shanghai

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One of China’s biggest restaurant chains has promised to refund thousands of customers after footage of a patron urinating into a simmering hotpot went viral online, triggering a public outcry.

The clip, filmed last month, appeared to show a young man standing on a table at a Haidilao branch in Shanghai urinating into a vat of boiling broth. The video sparked an immediate backlash on social media, with users venting anger and disgust at the brazen breach of food safety at one of the country’s most popular restaurant chains.

Haidilao confirmed the incident in a social media post on Wednesday, saying it was “extremely sorry” and pursuing legal action.

“In the early hours of February 24, two men urinated into a hotpot after dining in a private room at a Haidilao branch on the Bund in Shanghai,” the company said, referring to the eastern megacity’s ritzy waterfront promenade.

“As management had never made contingency plans or given training for dealing with this type of incident, staff at our branch were unable to detect any abnormalities at the scene or uphold the safety of the dining environment,” it said.

The restaurant said it would offer compensation to any customers involved in the store’s over 4,100 orders between February 24 and March 8, equivalent to a full refund plus a lump sum of 10 times that amount.

A Shanghai police statement said two 17-year-olds, respectively surnamed Tang and Wu, had been placed in “administrative detention”.